Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ययुरेवापराः स्वेषु गवाक्षेषु वरांगनाः । स चकर्ष तदा तासां पतितैर्नेत्ररश्मिभिः

Transliteration

yayurevāparāḥ sveṣu gavākṣeṣu varāṃganāḥ | sa cakarṣa tadā tāsāṃ patitairnetraraśmibhiḥ

Translation

สตรีผู้สูงศักดิ์อื่น ๆ ไปยังช่องหน้าต่างของตน; และในขณะนั้น เขาราวกับดึงพวกนางเข้าหาตนด้วยลำแสงแห่งสายตาที่ทอดลงของพวกนาง

Word by Word

• ययुः: they went
• ययुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु), लिट्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; Parasmaipada

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/अवधारण (particle: ‘indeed/just’)

• अपराः: others (women)
• अपराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural

• स्वेषु: in their own
• स्वेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; Locative Plural (reflexive: ‘in their own’)

• गवाक्षेषु: at the windows
• गवाक्षेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गवाक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; Locative Plural

• वराङ्गनाः: beautiful women
• वराङ्गनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + अङ्गना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural; समासः—कर्मधारय (‘excellent women’)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative Singular

• चकर्ष: he drew/pulled
• चकर्ष: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृष् (धातु), लिट्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; Genitive Plural

• पतितैः: fallen, cast
• पतितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतित (कृदन्त; √पत् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; Instrumental Plural (qualifying ‘नेत्ररश्मिभिः’)

• नेत्ररश्मिभिः: with the rays of (their) eyes/glances
• नेत्ररश्मिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र + रश्मि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; Instrumental Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: ‘rays of the eyes’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Noble women at their windows; their eyes send ‘rays’ toward a radiant figure below, and the figure seems to pull them—like an invisible thread of gaze connecting both.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It depicts the binding power of fascination, a narrative foil to the liberating power of devotion and tīrtha-merit emphasized elsewhere in māhātmyas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the setting is within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.